Ribs for shotguns have been known and successfully used for a number of years. A design for such ribs is shown in U.S. Pat. No. De. 195,340; and a discussion of the features and advantages of such ribs as well as a method of installing such ribs on shotguns may be found in U.S. Pat. No. 3,556,889.
The desirability of using ribs, either ventilated or solid, on handguns has been recognized for several years, but no commercially acceptable version thereof has been forthcoming. Problems have been encountered in mounting the rib on the barrel of the handgun, compatibility with the front sight, and interference with inserting and removing the gun from its holster.